# Maryland Smokers, High Taxes on the way.



## BigFrankMD (Aug 31, 2007)

Not sure if this is the right spot, but I guess so...

What a bunch of bullshit. If the SCHIP passes, this will compound along with it. God damn I hate this state. It will save lives lol. Please if I want to smoke let me ****ing smoke, I do not need Big Brother telling me what is good and what is not good for me, I am not a retard.

Bottom line, current government screwed our states budget, now they are attacking smokers to cover their asses. Typical BS in Maryland. DeMarco is nothing more than some liberal puppet for O'Malley what a joke, this is going to "save lives" more like make people go F***ing broke, or buy from other states.

http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_269124326.html

*Copied from News Site*
Smoking in Maryland is already an expensive habit. Cigarettes average $4.50 a pack and included in that price is a $1 state tax.

But if Governor O'Malley gets his tax plan passed, a pack of cigarettes would cost $5.50 or more.

Increasing the tobacco tax to $2 in Maryland could bring in $220 million in the first year, according to the Department of Legislative Services. It's all part of the governor's strategy to chip away the state's $1.5 billion budget gap.

But Vinny DeMarco says an increase in the tobacco tax does much more than just trim the deficit, he contends it saves lives.

"When we increased our tobacco tax 33 cents in 1999, 20,000 fewer kids smoked, a third of them would have died horrible deaths. When we double our tobacco tax now from a dollar to $2 that's going to stop 50,000 kids from smoking," said DeMarco.

DeMarco's organization, the Maryland Citizens Health Initiative, has launched new radio ads in Baltimore.

"Nearly 7,000 of our kids get hooked on cigarettes every year. One in three will die prematurely from it," said DeMarco.

But some smokers will not be swayed and will not quit.

"I will go to another state to buy my cigarettes," said one smoker.

Residents can find better prices in neighboring Virginia. It's tobacco tax is only 30 cents per pack. West Virginia and Delaware's tax is 55 cents. Even Pennsylvania would be lower.

Tobacco lobbyists have said a higher tax will hurt working class families, something DeMarco disputes.

"Lower income people will quit in much higher numbers than upper income people because of the finances, so it really helps lower income people. It saves their lives," said DeMarco.

Governor O'Malley says the money raised with a higher cigarette tax would help fund more healthcare for the uninsured or under-insured in Maryland.


----------



## ATLHARP (May 3, 2005)

Don't worry, it's for the children.......:BS


ATL


----------



## macjoe53 (Jul 8, 2007)

BigFrankMD said:


> *"Lower income people will quit in much higher numbers than upper income people because of the finances, so it really helps lower income people. It saves their lives," said DeMarco.
> *


Another liberal looking through rose colored glasses. Higher taxes will not make lower income people quit. It will make them find ways to divert even more of the freebies they are given into cigarettes.

All the higher taxes are going to do is create a black market for cigarettes. People who can drive to other states will buy cigarettes at a lower price and sell them for a profit to low income people. Crime will increase as people will steal more to raise money (sort of like crack addicts).


----------



## Seanohue (Oct 2, 2006)

Holy crap, I just broke the granola bar I was eating in two while I was reading this. To keep my opinion of O'Fowley and the rest of the Maryland legislature from setting off every language filter on the board, I will not say anything else in that reguard. I really wish I could just grab some of these people by their $100-a-cut hair and pull their heads of their asses. Though even if I did, they'd just shove it back in. After college, I have two plans of destination: Florida or Japan. I like the weather in Florida, but I like the tolerant atmosphere of the Japanese (plus all the sweet gadgets they have over there).


----------



## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

macjoe53 said:


> Another liberal looking through rose colored glasses. Higher taxes will not make lower income people quit. It will make them find ways to divert even more of the freebies they are given into cigarettes.
> 
> All the higher taxes are going to do is create a black market for cigarettes. People who can drive to other states will buy cigarettes at a lower price and sell them for a profit to low income people. Crime will increase as people will steal more to raise money (sort of like crack addicts).


That's exactly what my first thought was when I read the article. O'Malley is doing his best to quickly drive our state into the crapper. I still haven't gotten over the whole BGE rate hike 'crisis' from last year that cost Ehrlich the election. I'm especially sore over the great lengths the local media went to shove their collective noses up O'Malley's butt while practically crucifying Ehrlich for a problem his predecessor created.... sorry, that's another rant altogether, I get carried away sometimes.


----------



## Bax (Sep 12, 2007)

Mark C said:


> That's exactly what my first thought was when I read the article. O'Malley is doing his best to quickly drive our state into the crapper. I still haven't gotten over the whole BGE rate hike 'crisis' from last year that cost Ehrlich the election. I'm especially sore over the great lengths the local media went to shove their collective noses up O'Malley's butt while practically crucifying Ehrlich for a problem his predecessor created.... sorry, that's another rant altogether, I get carried away sometimes.


I did like Ehrlich, he seemed like a very nice guy. Rare for politicians. Loves to bet on the NFL too.


----------



## earnold25 (Oct 5, 2006)

Mark C said:


> That's exactly what my first thought was when I read the article. O'Malley is doing his best to quickly drive our state into the crapper. I still haven't gotten over the whole BGE rate hike 'crisis' from last year that cost Ehrlich the election. I'm especially sore over the great lengths the local media went to shove their collective noses up O'Malley's butt while practically crucifying Ehrlich for a problem his predecessor created.... sorry, that's another rant altogether, I get carried away sometimes.


well you can be damned sure he'll do something that will make "everyone" love him about 4 months before the next election. seems to be his trend and how he gets senile voters to get him in office


----------



## SmokeyJoe (Oct 3, 2006)

And the states fall like dominos... seems like a tidal wave!


----------



## Bob (Jun 29, 2006)

SmokeyJoe said:


> And the states fall like dominos... seems like a tidal wave!


We can all move to Oklahoma and buy stuff from our Indian BOTL....?:ss


----------



## Cliff (Oct 24, 2007)

The above is one of many reasons but not the main reason as to why I'm getting the hell out of Maryland and moving to Virginia. Maryland is turning more blue everyday,and will be deep in the crapper because of it.


----------



## SmokinApe (Jun 20, 2007)

IMO; smoking ciggaretts is stupid, the manufactures have teams of people putting every and anything they can into them to get people hooked. These people market / target our kids and try to get them hooked for life, hooked on something that will kill them. We should, as a community stop it. I know that opinion is not popular on a somking board, but we all know it is different with cigars.

That being said, no amount if taxes will get people to stop. I believe that people will buy them at $40 a pack. If we were serious about getting people to stop, we would treat and educate them for free... I do not agree with the tax poor people to death approach...


----------

